The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has significantly strengthened the legislation on the management of personal data. Now, any failure to comply can lead to severe financial consequences for organizations.
Indeed, companies are not only exposed to sanctions from the supervisory authority, such as the CNIL in France, but also to the risk of personal data breaches. These breaches can have significant repercussions for both companies and individuals concerned.
Have you already taken the necessary steps to ensure your compliance with the GDPR ? To assess your level of compliance and determine the actions to be taken, it is essential to start with a GDPR audit.
Indeed, the GDPR audit represents the first essential step in any project aimed at achieving compliance. But what exactly does such an audit consist of? Who is concerned? What are the diagnostics to be carried out?
Since the entry into force of the GDPR in 2016, most companies and organizations in the EU have been required to comply with this regulation. This obligation has prompted these entities to review their practices regarding the collection and processing of personal information, in a context where the Internet is making information flows more complex and multiplying.
To meet these new requirements, professionals must integrate new processes into their daily lives, starting with carrying out a GDPR audit.
GDPR Audit: Definition
A GDPR audit is a comprehensive review of the measures implemented by an organization to comply with the GDPR. The various diagnostics aim to ensure that the processing of personal data complies with legal obligations.
There are two types of audits:
- The initial GDPR audit aims to establish an inventory of possible deviations from the GDPR. Its objective is to formulate an action plan to remedy these deviations and ensure compliance.
- The follow-up audit verifies that the organization continues to comply with the established compliance rules. In case of non-compliance, corrective measures must be taken.
GDPR compliance is an ongoing process, requiring regular audits to be maintained. It is worth remembering that the GDPR was established to regulate the collection, processing and management of personal data at the European level, concerning any entity located in the EU, as well as any entity processing information of individuals residing in the European Union, including subcontractors and service providers.
In short, the GDPR audit is an essential tool to assess and ensure compliance with the requirements of the GDPR, both at the initial level and as part of an ongoing compliance approach.
The GDPR audit aims to achieve several objectives:
- Identify and analyze the gaps between your practices and GDPR requirements, by assessing the compliance of your current processes.
- Map and analyze all personal data processing within your organization, in order to understand how this data is collected, processed, used and stored.
- Identify the main risks related to data protection, by highlighting potential shortcomings that could have a significant impact on your organization.
- Establish a compliance action plan, by identifying the specific actions and projects to be implemented as a priority to ensure the organization’s compliance with the GDPR.
The GDPR audit covers the main areas of data management, including the collection, processing, use, retention and security of personal data.
GDPR audit: who is concerned?
The GDPR audit concerns all entities that process personal data as part of their activities. This includes in particular:
- Companies established in the European Union;
- Companies located outside the EU, but which process data of individuals residing in the European Union;
- Subcontractors and service providers who handle data on behalf of other organisations.
In summary, any organisation that collects, processes or stores personal data is concerned by the GDPR audit and must ensure that it complies with the requirements of the GDPR.
How to do a GDPR Audit?
Carrying out a GDPR audit may seem difficult and tedious, but you just need to apply a methodology that you can learn by consulting our article on “the 5 steps to follow to carry out a GDPR audit” and carry out the GDPR audit of your company yourself.
